USA Pro Challenge named 'best race'

Velo News has named the USA Pro Challenge stage race across Colorado the Best Domestic Race in 2012.

The magazine noted the race and the state have everything a cyclist and a cycling fan can ask for: "amazing scenery, long alpine climbs, fast, twisting descents, thin air, and absolutely rabid cycling fans."

Editors also noted the diversity of the stages at the Colorado race, which brought out the best in different riders and resulted in "a pair of inspired solo victories, first from a rejuvenated Tom Danielson in Aspen, and then from the venerable Jens Voigt in Beaver Creek."

Stage 6 of the 2012 race, from Golden to the summit of Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder, a day that included about 10,000 feet of climbing, was named the Most Dramatic Day of Racing in 2012.

Read Velo's description of the day "(Rory) Sutherland took the race by the throat and held on for dear life as the GC men throttled one another behind him, only adding to the lore of the Flag."

“I gave it everything I had. Today was one of the most beautiful days I’ve ever seen in cycling," Levi Leipheimer told Velo.